Chapter 34

The heavy rain in the capital city had lasted for several days.

When the rain finally stopped and the sky cleared, it was nearly dusk. The sunset dyed the entire sky a bloody red, and the quiet streets echoed with the long-missed sounds of human activity. Walking on the clean, rain-washed cobblestone roads, breathing in the fresh air, and feeling the gentle breeze, one couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment.

But not everyone was in such a good mood.

At the Golden Rose Inn.

Xia Lan welcomed a guest.

After the attendant led Noven into the room and closed the door, the anxious Noven hurriedly asked, "Sir, are you involved in Ambefen's death?"

"What happened?" Xia Lan, looking somewhat pale, sat on the soft, comfortable sofa and asked softly.

Noven sighed and said helplessly, "Sir, you haven't answered my question."

"No," Xia Lan shook his head, but he was lying.

"Phew—" Hearing the young master's response, Noven let out a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong?" Xia Lan tilted his head and asked.

Noven took a deep breath, his entire demeanor listless as he began to recount the events.

After confessing everything to the Crown Prince, Noven had thought, as the young man had said, that he would regain the Crown Prince's attention. However, things did not go as expected.

A simple nod, a casual dismissal, as if the Crown Prince had not taken his words to heart.

Disappointed, Noven felt a sense of despair.

It wasn't until today, when the Crown Prince summoned him for a talk, that he thought his new life was about to begin. But what he received was something else entirely.

"Noven, I heard you borrowed money from Ambefen?"

This was the Crown Prince's first question.

He was puzzled, why did the Crown Prince bring this up now? Could this be a belated concern? His low spirits suddenly lifted, and he replied, "Yes."

"Do you know? He died a few nights ago."

"What?"

The Crown Prince's next words shocked Noven. For some reason, he suddenly thought of that young man from that day.

"You didn't know?" Seeing Noven's reaction, the Crown Prince shook his head, his tone tinged with disappointment.

"Your Highness, what happened?" Noven asked anxiously, his mind in turmoil.

"A few nights ago, Ambefen was assassinated, along with all his servants and guards," the Crown Prince said calmly. "Yesterday, the investigators from the Capital Guard seemed to have found some clues, and their target is you."

"What?" Noven exclaimed again, "Your Highness, does this have anything to do with me?"

Noven's mind was a mess. Ambefen wouldn't have died for no reason, and that young man had casually mentioned Ambefen during their conversation, which made him suspect the worst.

"Ha ha—" The Crown Prince chuckled, his tone carrying a hidden meaning. "Do you think you are involved in this?"

Noven shook his head hastily. "No, even if I were, I don't have the ability to kill Ambefen."

Hearing Noven's explanation, the Crown Prince's gaze fell on the rain outside the window. "You don't have the ability, but perhaps someone else does, like that young man who saved you that day."

A bolt of lightning suddenly split the sky, as if striking a weak spot in Noven's heart.

"Your Highness..." Noven lowered his head, fearful. "He's just a friend I met recently. I think the investigators from the Capital Guard must have made a mistake."

"I also think they made a mistake, so I had them all dismissed," the Crown Prince turned to look at Noven. "Perhaps one day you can introduce me to that young man."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The Crown Prince's words left Noven even more confused, but he could only humbly and respectfully respond.

"Dismissed."

Before Noven could think further, the Crown Prince waved him away.

After leaving, he looked uneasy, his thoughts swirling.

He thought of many things, but he didn't know if they were true.

So he decided to find that young man.

In the Crown Prince's quiet, empty room.

"Ha ha, it seems my good brother has started to bite like a mad dog."

The Crown Prince, seemingly speaking to someone, sat in a chair with his eyes closed, muttering to himself.

"Your Highness, your scholar advisor was lying just now," a voice suddenly echoed in the room.

"I know," the Crown Prince said calmly. "It's just a small matter. Sometimes living in a lie isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"It seems Your Highness has learned a lot," the voice said respectfully.

"Ha ha—" The Crown Prince opened his eyes and smiled, tilting his head slightly. "At least more than my foolish brother."

"Have the key people been dealt with?" the Crown Prince asked suddenly.

"As you commanded, Your Highness," the voice replied.

"Good—" The Crown Prince closed his eyes again and murmured. "At least I can cause some trouble for my good brother, but I'm afraid he might think we broke the balance."

"Your Highness is overthinking it," the voice said.

"Father fell ill again last night. I think my brother can't wait any longer," the Crown Prince said softly.

The room was silent.

The hidden currents were surging and overflowing.

"It seems things are not going well," Xia Lan coughed slightly and said.

Not everything goes as one wishes, and Xia Lan understood this, but he didn't expect that everything would spiral out of control before his eyes.

"Sir," from the other side of the sofa, Noven said nervously, "why do you think it's not going well?"

"I think the Crown Prince has discovered something between us," Xia Lan shook his head and sighed. He had underestimated the chain reaction.

"What?" Noven stood up, uneasy. "Does the Crown Prince know that I have become your attendant?"

If the Crown Prince found out, he might no longer value Noven, or even drive him out of the palace. How could he then rise again and save Biling!

"Things aren't as bad as you think," Xia Lan said. "Perhaps everything will become clear after I meet the Crown Prince."

"You want to meet the Crown Prince?" Noven looked surprised.

"What? Is that not possible?" Xia Lan tilted his head.

"Only—"

Xia Lan raised his hand to interrupt him, looking at the hesitant Noven. "Your mind is in turmoil."

"Sir."

"So go back for now," Xia Lan closed his eyes and said calmly. "Don't always think the worst. Perhaps in a few days, you will receive a call from the Crown Prince."

"Alright, I'll take my leave then."

Since the master had dismissed him, Noven reluctantly left the room.

He came and went hurriedly, full of doubts.

In the end, he still didn't get the answer he wanted. Perhaps, as Xia Lan said, his mind was too chaotic.

Xia Lan opened his eyes again, coughed slightly, and his face looked even paler. He saw his health points drop below 200 and felt a mix of laughter and tears.

Ambefen's death had not brought him a level-up; instead, it brought him pain, seemingly a loss.

Xia Lan took a deep breath and shook off the thought. He had heard that illness can erode one's will.

This was not without reason. These past few days, he had been confined to his room, cut off from the outside world.

Uncomfortable, lonely.

In the Tonghua District, Delof's office.

"Furenar, why are you here again today?" As the workday was about to end, Delof welcomed his unfortunate old friend.

"Ah—" Furenar sighed, collapsing onto the sofa, his hands covering his face in dejection. "All the leads have dried up."

"Hmm? What happened?" Delof asked in surprise.

"The direction you pointed out yielded no results. The Fourth Prince mobilized the entire Capital Guard's investigation department, but they found no suspects. Later, something strange happened," Furenar said.

"Strange?" Delof asked.

"Yes, strange," Furenar nodded. "During the investigation, the department found that several people on Stone Plate Street were mysteriously killed after the incident."

"Who were the dead?" Delof frowned.

"Bane's subordinates, and Bane was one of Ambefen's trusted lieutenants," Furenar explained.

"Could it be the work of the murderer?" Delof asked skeptically.

"No! If it were, it would be better," Furenar shook his head, sighing. "The department examined the bodies and found that the wounds did not match the murderer's method."

"Perhaps it was a deliberate act by the murderer?" Delof suggested.

"I don't think so," Furenar shook his head again. "The department's examination found that the wounds were laced with poison and were caused by a dagger or short blade. I trust the department's judgment."

Delof paced around the room, as this might be a key point.

"Could it be an accomplice of the murderer?"

"Unclear," Furenar said. "But from the other subordinates of Bane, we learned that the dead had gone to the Crown Prince's residence to collect a debt from a scholar advisor named Noven. Coincidentally, all those who went to collect the debt are now dead."

"What happened next?" Delof asked.

"Next..." Furenar smiled bitterly. "When the department tried to gather evidence from the scholar advisor, they were driven away by the Crown Prince. The Fourth Prince then took out his anger on us."

"Phew—"

Delof stopped, his face grim, thinking of the worst.

"Lord Roslin asked me to ask you if you have any leads," Furenar, seemingly unaware of the danger, looked at Delof. "Lord Roslin might want you to join the investigation in the next few days. He doesn't trust the people in the department."

"Me?" Delof shook his head. "I have some leads, but they are still lacking the key elements."

"Ah—" Furenar sighed helplessly, shaking off his worries. "How about we have a drink tonight?"

"My children have been waiting for me at home. I want to go back and spend time with them," Delof spread his hands and declined.

As he left, Delof looked at Furenar's dejected back, hoping that the recent troubles and pressures wouldn't crush him.

---

I was so drunk yesterday that I didn't update. Sorry.

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